Sher-Wood Hockey Sticks: Global Sourcing SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
Global Business
Strategy / MBA Resources
Case Study SWOT Analysis Solution
Case Study Description of Sher-Wood Hockey Sticks: Global Sourcing
In early 2011, the senior executives of the venerable Canadian hockey stick manufacturer, Sher-Wood Hockey (Sher-Wood), were pondering whether to move the remainder of the company's high-end composite hockey and goalie stick production to its suppliers in China. Sher-Wood had been losing market share as retail prices continued to fall. Would outsourcing the production of the iconic, Canadian-made hockey sticks to China help Sher-Wood to boost demand significantly? Was there any other choice?
Authors :: Paul W. Beamish, Megan (Min) Zhang
Topics :: Global Business
Tags :: International business, Operations management, Research & development, Strategy, SWOT Analysis, SWOT Matrix, TOWS, Weighted SWOT Analysis
Swot Analysis of "Sher-Wood Hockey Sticks: Global Sourcing" written by Paul W. Beamish, Megan (Min) Zhang includes – strengths weakness that are internal strategic factors of the organization, and opportunities and threats that Sher Hockey facing as an external strategic factors. Some of the topics covered in Sher-Wood Hockey Sticks: Global Sourcing case study are - Strategic Management Strategies, International business, Operations management, Research & development, Strategy and Global Business.
Some of the macro environment factors that can be used to understand the Sher-Wood Hockey Sticks: Global Sourcing casestudy better are - – increasing household debt because of falling income levels, technology disruption, there is backlash against globalization, competitive advantages are harder to sustain because of technology dispersion, challanges to central banks by blockchain based private currencies, increasing transportation and logistics costs, geopolitical disruptions,
wage bills are increasing, there is increasing trade war between United States & China, etc
Introduction to SWOT Analysis of Sher-Wood Hockey Sticks: Global Sourcing
SWOT stands for an organization’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats . At Oak Spring University , we believe that protagonist in Sher-Wood Hockey Sticks: Global Sourcing case study can use SWOT analysis as a strategic management tool to assess the current internal strengths and weaknesses of the Sher Hockey, and to figure out the opportunities and threats in the macro environment – technological, environmental, political, economic, social, demographic, etc in which Sher Hockey operates in.
According to Harvard Business Review, 75% of the managers use SWOT analysis for various purposes such as – evaluating current scenario, strategic planning, new venture feasibility, personal growth goals, new market entry, Go To market strategies, portfolio management and strategic trade-off assessment, organizational restructuring, etc.
SWOT Objectives / Importance of SWOT Analysis and SWOT Matrix
SWOT analysis of Sher-Wood Hockey Sticks: Global Sourcing can be done for the following purposes –
1. Strategic planning using facts provided in Sher-Wood Hockey Sticks: Global Sourcing case study
2. Improving business portfolio management of Sher Hockey
3. Assessing feasibility of the new initiative in Global Business field.
4. Making a Global Business topic specific business decision
5. Set goals for the organization
6. Organizational restructuring of Sher Hockey
Strengths Sher-Wood Hockey Sticks: Global Sourcing | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Strengths in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The strengths of Sher Hockey in Sher-Wood Hockey Sticks: Global Sourcing Harvard Business Review case study are -
Organizational Resilience of Sher Hockey
– The covid-19 pandemic has put organizational resilience at the centre of everthing that Sher Hockey does. Organizational resilience comprises - Financial Resilience, Operational Resilience, Technological Resilience, Organizational Resilience, Business Model Resilience, and Reputation Resilience.
Sustainable margins compare to other players in Global Business industry
– Sher-Wood Hockey Sticks: Global Sourcing firm has clearly differentiated products in the market place. This has enabled Sher Hockey to fetch slight price premium compare to the competitors in the Global Business industry. The sustainable margins have also helped Sher Hockey to invest into research and development (R&D) and innovation.
Innovation driven organization
– Sher Hockey is one of the most innovative firm in sector. Manager in Sher-Wood Hockey Sticks: Global Sourcing Harvard Business Review case study can use Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation strategies to further increase the scale of innovtions in the organization.
Operational resilience
– The operational resilience strategy in the Sher-Wood Hockey Sticks: Global Sourcing Harvard Business Review case study comprises – understanding the underlying the factors in the industry, building diversified operations across different geographies so that disruption in one part of the world doesn’t impact the overall performance of the firm, and integrating the various business operations and processes through its digital transformation drive.
High switching costs
– The high switching costs that Sher Hockey has built up over years in its products and services combo offer has resulted in high retention of customers, lower marketing costs, and greater ability of the firm to focus on its customers.
Low bargaining power of suppliers
– Suppliers of Sher Hockey in the sector have low bargaining power. Sher-Wood Hockey Sticks: Global Sourcing has further diversified its suppliers portfolio by building a robust supply chain across various countries. This helps Sher Hockey to manage not only supply disruptions but also source products at highly competitive prices.
Superior customer experience
– The customer experience strategy of Sher Hockey in the segment is based on four key concepts – personalization, simplification of complex needs, prompt response, and continuous engagement.
Analytics focus
– Sher Hockey is putting a lot of focus on utilizing the power of analytics in business decision making. This has put it among the leading players in the industry. The technology infrastructure suggested by Paul W. Beamish, Megan (Min) Zhang can also help it to harness the power of analytics for – marketing optimization, demand forecasting, customer relationship management, inventory management, information sharing across the value chain etc.
Ability to recruit top talent
– Sher Hockey is one of the leading recruiters in the industry. Managers in the Sher-Wood Hockey Sticks: Global Sourcing are in a position to attract the best talent available. The firm has a robust talent identification program that helps in identifying the brightest.
Diverse revenue streams
– Sher Hockey is present in almost all the verticals within the industry. This has provided firm in Sher-Wood Hockey Sticks: Global Sourcing case study a diverse revenue stream that has helped it to survive disruptions such as global pandemic in Covid-19, financial disruption of 2008, and supply chain disruption of 2021.
Effective Research and Development (R&D)
– Sher Hockey has innovation driven culture where significant part of the revenues are spent on the research and development activities. This has resulted in, as mentioned in case study Sher-Wood Hockey Sticks: Global Sourcing - staying ahead in the industry in terms of – new product launches, superior customer experience, highly competitive pricing strategies, and great returns to the shareholders.
Successful track record of launching new products
– Sher Hockey has launched numerous new products in last few years, keeping in mind evolving customer preferences and competitive pressures. Sher Hockey has effective processes in place that helps in exploring new product needs, doing quick pilot testing, and then launching the products quickly using its extensive distribution network.
Weaknesses Sher-Wood Hockey Sticks: Global Sourcing | Internal Strategic Factors
What are Weaknesses in SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The weaknesses of Sher-Wood Hockey Sticks: Global Sourcing are -
Employees’ incomplete understanding of strategy
– From the instances in the HBR case study Sher-Wood Hockey Sticks: Global Sourcing, it seems that the employees of Sher Hockey don’t have comprehensive understanding of the firm’s strategy. This is reflected in number of promotional campaigns over the last few years that had mixed messaging and competing priorities. Some of the strategic activities and services promoted in the promotional campaigns were not consistent with the organization’s strategy.
High cash cycle compare to competitors
Sher Hockey has a high cash cycle compare to other players in the industry. It needs to shorten the cash cycle by 12% to be more competitive in the marketplace, reduce inventory costs, and be more profitable.
High operating costs
– Compare to the competitors, firm in the HBR case study Sher-Wood Hockey Sticks: Global Sourcing has high operating costs in the. This can be harder to sustain given the new emerging competition from nimble players who are using technology to attract Sher Hockey 's lucrative customers.
Capital Spending Reduction
– Even during the low interest decade, Sher Hockey has not been able to do capital spending to the tune of the competition. This has resulted into fewer innovations and company facing stiff competition from both existing competitors and new entrants who are disrupting the industry using digital technology.
Ability to respond to the competition
– As the decision making is very deliberative, highlighted in the case study Sher-Wood Hockey Sticks: Global Sourcing, in the dynamic environment Sher Hockey has struggled to respond to the nimble upstart competition. Sher Hockey has reasonably good record with similar level competitors but it has struggled with new entrants taking away niches of its business.
Slow to strategic competitive environment developments
– As Sher-Wood Hockey Sticks: Global Sourcing HBR case study mentions - Sher Hockey takes time to assess the upcoming competitions. This has led to missing out on atleast 2-3 big opportunities in the industry in last five years.
Slow to harness new channels of communication
– Even though competitors are using new communication channels such as Instagram, Tiktok, and Snap, Sher Hockey is slow explore the new channels of communication. These new channels of communication mentioned in marketing section of case study Sher-Wood Hockey Sticks: Global Sourcing can help to provide better information regarding products and services. It can also build an online community to further reach out to potential customers.
High dependence on star products
– The top 2 products and services of the firm as mentioned in the Sher-Wood Hockey Sticks: Global Sourcing HBR case study still accounts for major business revenue. This dependence on star products in has resulted into insufficient focus on developing new products, even though Sher Hockey has relatively successful track record of launching new products.
High dependence on existing supply chain
– The disruption in the global supply chains because of the Covid-19 pandemic and blockage of the Suez Canal illustrated the fragile nature of Sher Hockey supply chain. Even after few cautionary changes mentioned in the HBR case study - Sher-Wood Hockey Sticks: Global Sourcing, it is still heavily dependent upon the existing supply chain. The existing supply chain though brings in cost efficiencies but it has left Sher Hockey vulnerable to further global disruptions in South East Asia.
Increasing silos among functional specialists
– The organizational structure of Sher Hockey is dominated by functional specialists. It is not different from other players in the Global Business segment. Sher Hockey needs to de-silo the office environment to harness the true potential of its workforce. Secondly the de-silo will also help Sher Hockey to focus more on services rather than just following the product oriented approach.
Low market penetration in new markets
– Outside its home market of Sher Hockey, firm in the HBR case study Sher-Wood Hockey Sticks: Global Sourcing needs to spend more promotional, marketing, and advertising efforts to penetrate international markets.
Opportunities Sher-Wood Hockey Sticks: Global Sourcing | External Strategic Factors
What are Opportunities in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The opportunities highlighted in the Harvard Business Review case study Sher-Wood Hockey Sticks: Global Sourcing are -
Using analytics as competitive advantage
– Sher Hockey has spent a significant amount of money and effort to integrate analytics and machine learning into its operations in the sector. This continuous investment in analytics has enabled, as illustrated in the Harvard case study Sher-Wood Hockey Sticks: Global Sourcing - to build a competitive advantage using analytics. The analytics driven competitive advantage can help Sher Hockey to build faster Go To Market strategies, better consumer insights, developing relevant product features, and building a highly efficient supply chain.
Better consumer reach
– The expansion of the 5G network will help Sher Hockey to increase its market reach. Sher Hockey will be able to reach out to new customers. Secondly 5G will also provide technology framework to build new tools and products that can help more immersive consumer experience and faster consumer journey.
Finding new ways to collaborate
– Covid-19 has not only transformed business models of companies in Global Business industry, but it has also influenced the consumer preferences. Sher Hockey can tie-up with other value chain partners to explore new opportunities regarding meeting customer demands and building a rewarding and engaging relationship.
Harnessing reconfiguration of the global supply chains
– As the trade war between US and China heats up in the coming years, Sher Hockey can build a diversified supply chain model across various countries in - South East Asia, India, and other parts of the world. This reconfiguration of global supply chain can help, as suggested in case study, Sher-Wood Hockey Sticks: Global Sourcing, to buy more products closer to the markets, and it can leverage its size and influence to get better deal from the local markets.
Loyalty marketing
– Sher Hockey has focused on building a highly responsive customer relationship management platform. This platform is built on in-house data and driven by analytics and artificial intelligence. The customer analytics can help the organization to fine tune its loyalty marketing efforts, increase the wallet share of the organization, reduce wastage on mainstream advertising spending, build better pricing strategies using personalization, etc.
Developing new processes and practices
– Sher Hockey can develop new processes and procedures in Global Business industry using technology such as automation using artificial intelligence, real time transportation and products tracking, 3D modeling for concept development and new products pilot testing etc.
Learning at scale
– Online learning technologies has now opened space for Sher Hockey to conduct training and development for its employees across the world. This will result in not only reducing the cost of training but also help employees in different part of the world to integrate with the headquarter work culture, ethos, and standards.
Leveraging digital technologies
– Sher Hockey can leverage digital technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning to automate the production process, customer analytics to get better insights into consumer behavior, realtime digital dashboards to get better sales tracking, logistics and transportation, product tracking, etc.
Manufacturing automation
– Sher Hockey can use the latest technology developments to improve its manufacturing and designing process in Global Business segment. It can use CAD and 3D printing to build a quick prototype and pilot testing products. It can leverage automation using machine learning and artificial intelligence to do faster production at lowers costs, and it can leverage the growth in satellite and tracking technologies to improve inventory management, transportation, and shipping.
Buying journey improvements
– Sher Hockey can improve the customer journey of consumers in the industry by using analytics and artificial intelligence. Sher-Wood Hockey Sticks: Global Sourcing suggest that firm can provide automated chats to help consumers solve their own problems, provide online suggestions to get maximum out of the products and services, and help consumers to build a community where they can interact with each other to develop new features and uses.
Low interest rates
– Even though inflation is raising its head in most developed economies, Sher Hockey can still utilize the low interest rates to borrow money for capital investment. Secondly it can also use the increase of government spending in infrastructure projects to get new business.
Lowering marketing communication costs
– 5G expansion will open new opportunities for Sher Hockey in the field of marketing communication. It will bring down the cost of doing business, provide technology platform to build new products in the Global Business segment, and it will provide faster access to the consumers.
Identify volunteer opportunities
– Covid-19 has impacted working population in two ways – it has led to people soul searching about their professional choices, resulting in mass resignation. Secondly it has encouraged people to do things that they are passionate about. This has opened opportunities for businesses to build volunteer oriented socially driven projects. Sher Hockey can explore opportunities that can attract volunteers and are consistent with its mission and vision.
Threats Sher-Wood Hockey Sticks: Global Sourcing External Strategic Factors
What are Threats in the SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix / Weighted SWOT Analysis
The threats mentioned in the HBR case study Sher-Wood Hockey Sticks: Global Sourcing are -
Instability in the European markets
– European Union markets are facing three big challenges post Covid – expanded balance sheets, Brexit related business disruption, and aggressive Russia looking to distract the existing security mechanism. Sher Hockey will face different problems in different parts of Europe. For example it will face inflationary pressures in UK, France, and Germany, balance sheet expansion and demand challenges in Southern European countries, and geopolitical instability in the Eastern Europe.
Learning curve for new practices
– As the technology based on artificial intelligence and machine learning platform is getting complex, as highlighted in case study Sher-Wood Hockey Sticks: Global Sourcing, Sher Hockey may face longer learning curve for training and development of existing employees. This can open space for more nimble competitors in the field of Global Business .
Capital market disruption
– During the Covid-19, Dow Jones has touched record high. The valuations of a number of companies are way beyond their existing business model potential. This can lead to capital market correction which can put a number of suppliers, collaborators, value chain partners in great financial difficulty. It will directly impact the business of Sher Hockey.
Trade war between China and United States
– The trade war between two of the biggest economies can hugely impact the opportunities for Sher Hockey in the Global Business industry. The Global Business industry is already at various protected from local competition in China, with the rise of trade war the protection levels may go up. This presents a clear threat of current business model in Chinese market.
Stagnating economy with rate increase
– Sher Hockey can face lack of demand in the market place because of Fed actions to reduce inflation. This can lead to sluggish growth in the economy, lower demands, lower investments, higher borrowing costs, and consolidation in the field.
Consumer confidence and its impact on Sher Hockey demand
– There is a high probability of declining consumer confidence, given – high inflammation rate, rise of gig economy, lower job stability, increasing cost of living, higher interest rates, and aging demography. All the factors contribute to people saving higher rate of their income, resulting in lower consumer demand in the industry and other sectors.
Technology disruption because of hacks, piracy etc
– The colonial pipeline illustrated, how vulnerable modern organization are to international hackers, miscreants, and disruptors. The cyber security interruption, data leaks, etc can seriously jeopardize the future growth of the organization.
Backlash against dominant players
– US Congress and other legislative arms of the government are getting tough on big business especially technology companies. The digital arm of Sher Hockey business can come under increasing regulations regarding data privacy, data security, etc.
Environmental challenges
– Sher Hockey needs to have a robust strategy against the disruptions arising from climate change and energy requirements. EU has identified it as key priority area and spending 30% of its 880 billion Euros European post Covid-19 recovery funds on green technology. Sher Hockey can take advantage of this fund but it will also bring new competitors in the Global Business industry.
Regulatory challenges
– Sher Hockey needs to prepare for regulatory challenges as consumer protection groups and other pressure groups are vigorously advocating for more regulations on big business - to reduce inequality, to create a level playing field, to product data privacy and consumer privacy, to reduce the influence of big money on democratic institutions, etc. This can lead to significant changes in the Global Business industry regulations.
Easy access to finance
– Easy access to finance in Global Business field will also reduce the barriers to entry in the industry, thus putting downward pressure on the prices because of increasing competition. Sher Hockey can utilize it by borrowing at lower rates and invest it into research and development, capital expenditure to fortify its core competitive advantage.
New competition
– After the dotcom bust of 2001, financial crisis of 2008-09, the business formation in US economy had declined. But in 2020 alone, there are more than 1.5 million new business applications in United States. This can lead to greater competition for Sher Hockey in the Global Business sector and impact the bottomline of the organization.
High dependence on third party suppliers
– Sher Hockey high dependence on third party suppliers can disrupt its processes and delivery mechanism. For example -the current troubles of car makers because of chip shortage is because the chip companies started producing chips for electronic companies rather than car manufacturers.
Weighted SWOT Analysis of Sher-Wood Hockey Sticks: Global Sourcing Template, Example
Not all factors mentioned under the Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities, and Threats quadrants in the SWOT Analysis are equal. Managers in the HBR case study Sher-Wood Hockey Sticks: Global Sourcing needs to zero down on the relative importance of each factor mentioned in the Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities, and Threats quadrants.
We can provide the relative importance to each factor by assigning relative weights. Weighted SWOT analysis process is a three stage process –
First stage for doing weighted SWOT analysis of the case study Sher-Wood Hockey Sticks: Global Sourcing is to rank the strengths and weaknesses of the organization. This will help you to assess the most important strengths and weaknesses of the firm and which one of the strengths and weaknesses mentioned in the initial lists are marginal and can be left out.
Second stage for conducting weighted SWOT analysis of the Harvard case study Sher-Wood Hockey Sticks: Global Sourcing is to give probabilities to the external strategic factors thus better understanding the opportunities and threats arising out of macro environment changes and developments.
Third stage of constructing weighted SWOT analysis of Sher-Wood Hockey Sticks: Global Sourcing is to provide strategic recommendations includes – joining likelihood of external strategic factors such as opportunities and threats to the internal strategic factors – strengths and weaknesses. You should start with external factors as they will provide the direction of the overall industry. Secondly by joining probabilities with internal strategic factors can help the company not only strategic fit but also the most probably strategic trade-off that Sher Hockey needs to make to build a sustainable competitive advantage.
